- Getting Started with Git
- Git - Home
- Git - Version Control
- Git - Basic Concepts
- Git - Command Line
- Git - Installation
- Git - First Time Setup
- Git - Basic Commands
- Git - Getting Help
- Git - Tools
- Git - Cheat Sheet
- Git - Terminology
- Git Basics
- Git - Life Cycle
- Git - Get a Repository
- Git - Adding New Files
- Git - Recording Changes
- Git - Viewing Commit History
- Git Branching
- Git - Branches in a Nutshell
- Git - Creating a New Branch
- Git - Switching Branches
- Git - Branching and Merging
- Git - Merge Conflicts
- Git - Managing Branches
- Git - Branching Workflows
- Git - Remote Branches
- Git - Tracking Branches
- Git - Rebasing
- Git - Rebase vs. Merge
- Git - Squash Commits
- Git Operations
- Git - Clone Operation
- Git - Tagging Operation
- Git - Aliases Operation
- Git - Commit Operation
- Git - Stash Operation
- Git - Move Operation
- Git - Rename Operation
- Git - Push Operation
- Git - Pull Operation
- Git - Fork Operation
- Git - Patch Operation
- Git - Diff Operation
- Git - Status Operation
- Git - Log Operation
- Git - Head Operation
- Git - Origin Master
- Git Undoing
- Git - Undoing Changes
- Git - Checkout
- Git - Revert
- Git - Reset
- Git - Restore Operation
- Git - Rm
- Git - Switch Operation
- Git - Cherry-pick
- Git - Amend
- Git on the Server
- Git - Local Protocol
- Git - Smart HTTP Protocol
- Git - Dumb HTTP Protocol
- Git - The SSH Protocol
- Git - The Git Protocol
- Git - Getting Git on a Server
- Git - Setting up the Server
- Git - Daemon
- Git - GitWeb
- Git - GitLab
- Git - Third Party Hosted Options
- Distributed Git
- Git - Distributed Workflows
- Git - Contributing to a Project
- Git - Maintaining a Project
- Customizing Git
- Git - Configuration
- Git - Hooks
- Git - Attributes
- Git - Init
- Git - Commit
Git Init
The git init command is used to create a new Git repository. This command when run in a directory, initializes a new, empty Git repository by creating a new hidden .git sub-directory.
The .git directory, which houses all project references and objects, is created by this command.
The project's history is based on the .git directory, which also holds important configuration files.
To create a new repository, select git init; to clone an existing repository, use git clone; do not select both at the same time.
Using both git init and git clone simultaneously can lead to conflicts and improper repository setup.
A blank Git repository is created when we run git init.
A .git directory with particular subdirectories is present in the repository:
objects : Includes all of the information that Git handles (commits, trees, and blobs).
refs/heads : Provides references to the ends of the repository's branches.
refs/tags : Stores pointers to tag objects that have been added to the repository.
Template files : These are also included in the .git directory.
By using the $GIT_DIR environment variable, one can select a different base path for the repository instead of the standard ./.git.
Git stores objects in $GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY if it is set; if not, it defaults to $GIT_DIR/objects.
In an already-existing repository, executing git init is risk-free and doesn't replace current files.
It's frequently used with the --separate-git-dir option to move the repository or configure new templates.
Syntax
In order to use this command, navigate to your project directory in the terminal and run this command.
git init
After initializing a git repository, you generally follou up with commands like git add to stage your files and git commit to save your changes.
Options
The git init command has the following options:
-q
--quiet
Git's -q or --quiet option hides all additional information from output, restricting it to error and warning messages for a more simplified command-line interface.
git init --quiet git init -q
--bare
When using Git, the --bare option establishes a repository without a working directory, which is appropriate for server setups where changes are pulled and pushed but not edited directly.
The repository is created in the current directory if GIT_DIR isn't given.
git init --bare sample-repo.git
--object-format=<format>
In Git, the hash algorithm (object format) for the repository can be specified using the --object-format=<format> option.
When it comes to hashing object identifiers, Git uses sha1 by default.
If enabled, an additional hash algorithm, sha256, may be selected.
This option affects how object identifiers are computed and managed by Git throughout the repository.
The formats that can be used are loose and pack.
loose is default format where the objects are stored as separate files in .git/objects directory.
pack is where objects are stored in a packed format, which is more efficient in storage.
git init --object-format=pack
--ref-format=<format>
In Git, the --ref-format=<format> option defines the repository's references' (refs) storage format.
The default format is files, where refs are stored as loose files with packed-refs.
An alternative option is reftable, which represents an experimental format known as reftable.
As Git develops and improves it, the reftable format might see internal modifications.
git init --ref-format=loose
--template=<template-directory>
In Git, the --template=<template-directory> option specifies a directory from which templates will be sourced when initializing repositories.
git init --template=/path/to/template sample-repo
--separate-git-dir=<git-dir>
Git allows repository initialization without requiring the creation of a .git directory by using the --separate-git-dir=<git-dir> option.
Rather, it generates a text file that points to the real repository at the given location (<git-dir>).
To enable repository operations across many file systems, this text file serves as a symbolic link.
git init --separate-git-dir=/path/to/git-dir /path/to/working-dir
In the example above, /path/to/git-dir is where the .git directory will be created, while your actual project files will be in /path/to/working-dir.
--shared[=(false|true|umask|group|all|world|everybody|<perm>)]
Git allows group members to push changes by specifying that the repository should be shared among many users via the --shared option.
It applies umask(2) if no value is supplied, or it sets permissions for files and directories under $GIT_DIR based on specified values.
Options consist of:
umask : When permissions are not given, it uses umask(2) as the default.
group : Modifies umask(2) values, sets g+sx permissions, and makes the repository group-writable.
all, world, everybody : Like group, but allows any user to browse the repository.
<perm> : Overrides umask(2) settings by specifying permissions with a 3-digit octal number prefixed with 0.
git init --shared=group
The above command sets the repository to be shared among a group of users.
Hence, the git init sets up your version control, if you are starting a project from scratch. It can also be used in an existing project to start tracking the changes.